"The American war is over, but this is far from the case of the American Revolution. Nothing but the first act of this great drama is closed."
- Benjamin Rush

The former colonies had paid a high price for liberty and began to splinter back into 13 separate identities. Economic disintegration threatened all of the states. Yet as trade regained momentum, industry expanded and the West opened new frontiers, the sense of "becoming American" began to take root.

A call sounded in 1787 for a national convention and during the "miracle at Philadelphia," a brand new body of laws created a unique vision for America. Extraordinary efforts to compromise created a constitution that has granted the United States resiliency through brutal war, peaceful growth, violent social upheaval or horrifying tragedy. Our nation remains a work in progress, but at the beginning of the 21st century, America is still leading the real revolution.